A Casual Look at the Old Testament

As modern Christians, we can easily disregard the Old Testament in terms of being applicable to our daily life or having a role in our faith. We can look at the Old Testament and determine that the stories carried within are only relevant to a different time and place. That it can carry no weight in our faith in Jesus Christ. There are ways we can look at it, thanks to our culture, which can have us struggle with our faith. It would appear on the surface that we are looking at a different God than in the New Testament. A God that seems more judgmental than the one we are accustomed to. We see a lot of trying to keep up with laws and regulations that Israel fell short on. This can cause me to feel intimidated in looking at the Old Testament and reconciling it to my faith. Thus, we can run the risk of ignoring this part of the bible or picking and choosing the parts we want to follow.

For me, the first obstacle I faced with the Old Testament is getting caught up in all the rules and regulations. The question I faced is why are there things mentioned in the Old Testament that we, as modern Christians, do not follow. Are we disregarding God's commands to feel comfortable or are there other reasons? We need to remember that these were written specifically for the nation of Israel as guidelines to live. This was part of the covenant that God had with them. Things such as the dietary laws were meant to keep them healthier in that particular time and climate. We are under a new covenant, hence Old Testament and New Testament. The question remains: what can we take away from the Old Testament that pertains to our lives and culture?

Part of our struggle comes from the culture we live in, a part of having a Greek mindset rather than a Hebrew one. We come from a culture where individualism is important, the supernatural is split from the natural, and that God can be compartmentalized in easy and logical categories. The Hebrew mindset stressed groups and family units as more important, and that worth came from relationships rather than what we accumulate. We can struggle with a God that is fully just, fully love, fully merciful, and fully holy. We prefer God is part holy, part love, part just to make up a 100% whole. I think we accept it that God is fully all things, but our culture makes it harder for us to rationalize it in our heads.

This doesn't mean that the Old Testament is unimportant in our lives. Far from it, there are many lessons we can glean for our daily walks. Some of the narratives are meant explicitly to the nation of Israel, but many more relate lessons which are important to us. Jesus says the “scriptures testify to him”. At that time, the only scriptures they would have had were what is our Old Testament. Jesus would not mention this if the Old Testament wouldn't hold weight in our lives. The overall narrative speaks to Jesus.

We need the Old Testament because the narratives lay the groundwork as for the need for Jesus to do what needed to be done. There are the Ten Commandments that are given to us straight from God. The importance of these are discussed in the New Testament as well and thus are important for us to live by. The laws are given, not as a set of standards to live by so as to get closer to God, but rather as a standard of living as a response to what God had already done for them. The guiding principle is to remind Israel of what God has done and because of that, Israel's response to the world around them needed to be such. God calls Israel his “chosen people”. Our interpretation can perceive that as a phrase which means we are better than others. A phrase which allows us to lord our status over others – a we are better than you philosophy. That is not what God means though. They were to live their lives as a blessing to the nations around them so that other nations would know of God. God's plan was that all of the nations would be reconciled through the nation of Israel. As I said, not to lord it over others which is a different mind-set than what we are used to. The kindness and mercy that God had given to Israel would flow from them to the other nations. The mentality behind the law was “you've seen what God has done for you, do so to those around you”. Israel then follows other gods and we see the ramifications from that which lead to the captivity. But before all that, God sends prophets to the people imploring them to repent and turn back to God. They are given years and multiple chances which shows God's great patience and mercy to His people. But, God is still holy and will deal with sin as he shows with the exile. The overarching narrative from the Old Testament is God reconciling humanity to Himself. This was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament shows us the framework that leads to Jesus, which is foundational to our faith.

Even though the Old Testament does not speak directly to us as a people, there are many implicit lessons and answers given to us. They answer the question of who created us – God. The cost of sin and separation from God is related to us in the Adam and Eve story. The Ten Commandments give us a foundation to our faith. The story of Abraham and Sarah show us the power of God's promises as well as hope. Hope, because Abraham's promise doesn't happen immediately – but we can point at it showing that God fulfills his promises in his time. The story of Jonah gives us a story of repentance and shows God withholding his wrath, extending mercy, and his love to the people. The Psalms show us many aspects God's character – His protection, mercy, love, and righteousness abound. It even explains why the world has different languages from the Tower of Babel story. It's not the most religious story, but shows how the Old Testament can answer questions which are relevant in today's age. These are just a few examples from the narrative which speak into our modern lives.

The Old Testament shows us parallels that are applicable into our lives today. We may look down on Israel for chasing idols made of stone. But, we today chase our own “idols” even if they aren't sculpted from stone or metal. God is seen throughout rescuing his people in the Old Testament – he does the same today. As I said earlier, God is reconciling humanity to himself. That plan continues today and is just as strong today as it was when it was written back then.

In summary, the Old Testament serves as a foundation in the faith of today's modern Christian. To ignore it or trivialize it would cause us to miss out on the back story to our faith. The overall narrative gives us a more well-rounded understanding of who God is, why he has done what he has done, and what he continues to do today. God's plan has not changed.